Senior Graduation Dinner

Can you believe the academic year is coming to a close??!! Where has the time gone? It seems like just a week ago that Convocation happened and I was sweating over having to take the Bexxar. Somehow even Christmas this year was non descript as we encountered my Father's illness and passing. Winter melted into an early spring and voila! Here we are heading into May already.

I haven't been able to participate actively in the planning of our senior banquet this year, and I miss the flurry of excitement as we run through the list of all our student workers who will be graduating, making lists of who is bringing their good china, who is bringing the tablecloths, etc. We plan the menu - something nicer than the usual dining hall fare. Such detailed coordination reminds me of planning a wedding reception!

Its just our way of marking the occasion as special, pulling out all the fancy dishes and making a celebration of such an important milestone in the lives of these young students who pass so quickly through our doors and to thank them for their years of service. Our color is pink this year, and I happily take care of the flowers for the tables. I go with 1 deep pink rose, one pink and white lily, a scattering of deep pink asters and lots of baby's breath and greens. We use the same small square vases we got last year.

The tables are gleaming with their white and daintily flowered china and flowing white tablecloths. The silver is polished, the sidetable loaded with great smelling food. After hors d'oevres in the Conference Room, we fill our plates and settle down to the best part of the event - shared conversations about what comes next for them, what they absorbed while they were here, how stressed they are about upcoming exams, how glad they will be to get home to family and friends, what jobs or grad schools are on the horizon.

We set aside our pressures, those things that demand our attention, and enjoy this brief respite from all the craziness around us. After the meal, we present each student with a library mug bearing their name and date of graduation and a certificate of appreciation noting something special we have discovered about each of them. Flashes continually snap as pictures capture each smiling face, each handshake.

One of the staff members has created a special cake for dessert - complete with graduation caps bearing each student's name. It is almost too pretty to cut. Too soon we are pulled back into the reality of the day, and students tear themselves away for study groups and paper writing. We head for the kitchen to wash the dishes and tuck away the leftovers.

Yes, it was good this year. A nice group of students, good conversation, the preparation not too overwhelming. I wish them all well as they graduate and hope the continuation of their lives will be as delicious as the evening has been.